Fifty-six percent of respondents support a ban on assault rifles, and 55 percent want the size of ammunition magazines limited. Women and minorities overwhelmingly supported the two restrictions, as did older adults.

The only segment where a majority opposed an assault weapons ban was among respondents ages 18 to 30.

Meanwhile, requiring a background check for all gun buyers is favored by 93 percent of those polled, and 83 percent back a mandatory waiting period for handgun purchases.

“Support for background checks and waiting periods before purchasing a gun is very broad in North Carolina, but proposals to ban certain types of guns or large capacity magazines is less appealing to many citizens,” Elon University Poll director Kenneth Fernandez said in a statement.

In other issues covered in the poll, 72 percent of respondents support the idea of requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls. The findings are consistent with an Elon poll conducted a year ago.

Ninety-three percent of Republican respondents back an ID requirement, compared with only 52 percent of Democrat respondents. The GOP-controlled legislature has been trying to get a voter ID law passed for two years, but Democratic lawmakers have vehemently objected, saying it would create a barrier to voting for older and poorer people.

Yet, the two segments of respondents that gave the strongest support for voter ID were people 65 or older and people with incomes less than $25,000.

Eighty percent of respondents say they support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, but only 51 percent said they believe immigrants benefit North Carolina. Thirty-eight percent they believe immigrants are a burden to the state.

A majority of Republican respondents characterized immigrants as a burden to the state, but even 69 percent of them called for a pathway to citizenship.

“Our poll results show what many people have known for a while, which is that many North Carolinians have a generally positive view of immigrants,” Fernandez said. “One reason for this may be because North Carolina’s agricultural sector relies so heavily on immigrant labor.”

mrapplerocksMar 5, 2013

So let me get this straight, because 891 people out of a state of 9,700,000+ people want to restrict their 2nd Amendment rights as well as the 2nd Amendment rights of others then we should legislate our rights away? That sounds like the evils of democracy shining through. Democracy is merely 2 wolves and a lamb deciding what to have for dinner. Thank God this is a republic and there are checks and balances to the legislative process.

Not_Time_YetMar 5, 2013

No, what the poll says is Elon interviewed 891 people in undisclosed locations and of those 891 the majority wanted more gun control. Various locations could easily mean, Elon campus, UNC campus, NCState campus, ECU campus,... All bastions of open minded thinking.

They claim it was a scientific poll but we are just supposed to trust some academic liberals to be honest? Sorry, but they didn't inverview me, or anyone I know.

But we could do another "Scientific" poll around the state. Lets start at Ft Bragg, then Camp Lejeune, and a few other areas including, say Henderson.

Crumps Br0therMar 5, 2013

An AR can fire at a RATE of about 800 or so rounds per minute. Lightfoot3

there are no 800 ropund clips though. Stop scaring people, they are already irrevocably uniformed as it is

Crumps Br0therMar 5, 2013

We are one step closer to our goal of COMPLETELY REPEALING the 2nd amendment! Yee haww! downtowner

remember that when they come for your abortions

Grand UnionMar 5, 2013

".If you want a good poll, put one on this website and let it run for 5 days, if you want the truth on how the people of N.C. really feel. Travis"

LOL now just how would you show that posters on WRAL are representative of NC population?

Grand UnionMar 5, 2013

"once again another lie you call a poll."

please show that the poll was not correctly carried out.....because unless it was, then its fact not a lie.

Grand UnionMar 5, 2013

"Well at least we know that this poll has no merit, just speak of constitutional rights for or against, that is where the answer is, so ther is no need to argue any more or have any more polls because the answer was given the day folks with much more intelligence, courage and love of America than anyone since wrote it into law, it is called the 2nd Ammendment, love it or not it is written so shall it be done! This does not mean that you have to own a gun, freedom says that most will not and live a safe life and some may find themselves in a situation that they wished they had a life saver in their hands, either way I choose to own and use if need be, that is my right as an American because it was written a long time ago by the real Americans that had nothing to gain but freedom for all!"

LOL try buying a stinger missile....Gov and SCOTUS decides what you can have not your warped interpretation of the 2nd.

Grand UnionMar 5, 2013

"1k/minute is a RATE, not the actual count of the rounds fired in a one minute span. I can drive 60mph, even if I only drive for 5 miles."

not if you only have fuel for 1 mile at that speed......

"An AR can fire at a RATE of about 800 or so rounds per minute."

but a ten shot magazine would only allow you to fire for 0.075 of a second at that rate.....and then you would have to reload to get another 0.075 seconds fire! with reloading taking much longer than that clearly a smaller magazine will definitely reduce the number of shots in a given time period and give more chances when the gunman can be tackled as at Tucson.

Grand UnionMar 5, 2013

"Well if the public wants stricter gun laws the public will get stricter gun laws. We are one step closer to our goal of COMPLETELY REPEALING the 2nd amendment! Yee haww!"

no, just one step closer to having rational gun regulation. If you think the founders intended that one person would be able to field the fire power of an entire 18th century regiment and do so to kill school kids you are delusional. They were not fools.

downtownerMar 5, 2013

Well if the public wants stricter gun laws the public will get stricter gun laws. We are one step closer to our goal of COMPLETELY REPEALING the 2nd amendment! Yee haww!